And South Scotland’s Colin Smyth believes Dumfries and Galloway is ‘still nowhere near’ the peak of likely joblessness.
According to NOMIS, 5015 people claimed out of work benefits in this region in June, a 92 per cent rise compared to June 2019.
The MSP is urging the Scottish and UK governments to take urgent action in a bid to halt an unemployment crisis locally.
He said: “Recent unemployment figures have shown the highest claimant count in Dumfries and Galloway for June since 1996 and we are still nowhere near the likely peak.
“This needs to act as a wake up call to both governments. Our region is standing on the edge of an unemployment crisis and without more help to support jobs, the number of families in our region who will find themselves out of work is going to rise significantly.
“Covid 19 is first and foremost a health crisis, but it has also now become a massive economic crisis.”
